Just before the floor fell out beneath Detroit in the late 2000s, Ford partnered with Airstream for something pretty cool. The impossibly shiny Ford Airstream Concept debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. At the time, the collab was two-fold: It paid homage to Airstream while simultaneously showcasing the future of the industry, which Ford believed was crossovers. Boy did they get that one right.
In Ford's press release for the Airstream concept, the company projected that 3 million crossovers could be sold annually by 2010. Crossovers and SUVs have since blended together to make them largely indistinguishable, but in 2023, these vehicles topped 8 million sales. Per Global Market Insight, the segment was valued at $565 billion that year. But you didn't click this post to wade through sales stats.
You want to see the egg-shaped concept that sort of resembles a first-generation Ford Edge. That's not entirely accidental, since the Edge also arrived in 2007. However, the Edge didn't have a big gullwing door on the passenger side, nor did it have a wraparound sofa in the back with a modernized digital lava lamp in the middle. Lava lamp? Okay, Ford didn't get the future entirely right here.
To be fair, designers channeled Stanley Kubrick's epic 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey for inspiration. That explains the lava lamp, not to mention the abundance of bright red for the interior and window trim. Fortunately, there was no sign of a homicidal computer named HAL.
The Airstream Concept had screens, though, most definitely a prelude of things to come. The driver had a floating instrument panel with a single gauge display and capacitive controls—sadly, an unwelcome prelude to modern motoring. It had a bevy of cameras for exterior views, and in the center of the dash was a dual-view screen that, among other things, could play DVDs. Remember DVDs?
In the rear, that weird lava lamp doubled as a 360-degree screen capable of playing more old-time DVDs. It was the focal point of the Airstream's main cabin, which was decked out more like a lounge with room to stretch out. We're fairly certain Ford had no idea of the “Van Life” movement to come, but this Ford Airstream certainly could've been a contender for wayward souls seeking life on the road. Plug in a few water jugs and a composting toilet and you're all set. We've seen people living full-time in smaller vehicles.
This wasn't a static concept, either. Ford called it a plug-in hybrid but it's not what you think; It didn't pair a combustion engine with a battery. Instead, it used a hydrogen fuel cell with a battery. That's not a typo—the Airstream Concept had a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack good for an estimated 25 miles. The hydrogen fuel cell was used to charge the battery instead of powering the motor, with the automaker claiming a total range of 305 miles until everything was depleted.
There was never any pretense of production with the Ford Airstream Concept. It was designed to present Ford's vision of the near future for the automobile, and you know what? Barring a few tidbits like the hydrogen fuel cell (and lava lamp), the company just about nailed it. Ditch the red and give it a normal paint job and the Airstream wouldn't look out of place today.
Usually, the fate of such concepts is a dark one but this time we have good news. Ford recently showed off its Heritage Fleet Vault located at the company's global headquarters in Dearborn, and the Airstream Concept is nestled in there among the Mustangs, F-150s, concepts, and other vehicles chosen to honor the Blue Oval's legacy.
